


Where She Belonged

by onlyhereforellick



Series: Fictober ‘19 [3]
Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, fictober ‘19, post-ep 17x02, warning: alcohol abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 22:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20881688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyhereforellick/pseuds/onlyhereforellick
Summary: She didn’t feel the urge to fight him on the deserving part, they could talk about that later. For now, she’d just be happy to finally be in his arms, where she belonged.





	Where She Belonged

**Author's Note:**

> fictober ‘19 prompt #3 “Now, now you listen to me?”
> 
> kind of a post-ep? This idea was hard to come up with so hopefully it doesn’t suck...

Bishop got a tip from McGee that Torres was headed to the same dive bar they had run, and failed, their sting mission with Peaches. McGee claimed Nick had a look about him, almost like he was going out looking for trouble. 

Ever since Ziva left, Nick had been acting strange towards Ellie. She couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but...it was there. He stayed seated at his desk now, barely making eye contact with her. He never played his salsa when Gibbs was out, even if McGee had given him the green light. He continued to get drunk when the team went out after a case, despite the several times she tried to check in with him. He always blew her off, telling her that he didn’t need her worry, he was a grown man and could make his own decisions. 

Eventually, she had stopped trying. But boy did she still care. It broke her heart every time to see him get lost in the alcohol, see him drown his feelings in the drink of the night. She doubt the others noticed, she was the only one who knew him well enough to see past the facade. Past the fake, pasted on smile and humorless laugh, past it all to see him void of any emotion. She didn’t know how to reach under that thick shell of his and get him to listen, let alone talk to her. So she continued to just be there. She didn’t call him out on his drinking again, but she was the one to drive him home, she was the one to help him into his apartment. She was there for him, whenever he needed it. 

Today though, today she’d had enough. This was her last time, she would address the elephant in the room and if he brushed her off again, she was done. It would be hard, but maybe tough love was the way to finally chink that armor. Throwing open the door to the dive bar, her eyes scanned the room expertly and landed on him in seconds. Ignoring the heads turned in her direction as she strutted past the crowds of dirty men that inhabit a dive bar, she made her way to Nick. Only when she was standing between his stool and the empty stool next to him, towering over his hunched shoulders did he take notice to the commotion she had caused. And only when his eyes almost bugged out of his head as they traveled from her face slowly down every last inch of her body did she remember she had plans with the girls later for their monthly fancy night out. Nick’s eyes clearly took in her smokey eyes, perfectly tousled waves falling over her exposed collarbones following the sultry dip in the neck of her little black dress all the way down past the short hem to take in her long, tanned legs ending in red pumps. Under the weight of his stare, she shifted on her feet, suddenly slightly embarrassed by how she barged in here looking like, well, she’d rather not say.  _ Damn Jack for making her wear this_.

Clearing her throat to right not only herself, but Nick’s ogling at her heels, he snapped his head up and finally looked her in the eye. She quickly glanced to the pint half gone in front of him, and forgot all about her embarrassment. This was the man she loved, throwing himself away to alcohol. She had to give it one last try before stepping away completely. 

“For the last time, Nick. Please, stop,” she didn’t elaborate, she knew she didn’t need to. He could finish her sentence, he knew exactly what she wanted him to stop—she’d said it enough before. The desperation in her voice mixed with a slight tremble of sorrow. She really did not know what she would do if he didn’t stop. 

Standing on pins and needles she awaited his reply. His eyes never left hers, never even shot to his drink, when he stated firmly, “Okay. I’ll- I’ll stop. For you.”

She swore her jaw had never dropped so fast, a whoosh went through her body as this enormous weight lifted from her shoulders, and she collapsed to the stool behind her. It took her a second to find the words, and when she did, they were far from eloquent, “But-, but why? What-, I don’t-“ With a little shake of her head she got it together, “Now? Now you listen to me? Why?” she demanded. 

“I—“ he started.

She didn’t let him finish, because now that it had processed, she was pissed. “Why now, Nick? I’ve been trying for  _**months**_ to get you to quit.  ** _Months_**. And now? You’ll just stop? That simple? What changed? You avoid me at work, you avoid me outside of work. You barely talk to me or look at me, and now what? I show up looking like- like this?” she gestured wildly across her front, “And it’s like a magic switch has been flipped? What I needed to pretty myself up in order for you to listen to me? Regular old me isn’t good enough for you to pay attention to? Why now, Nick?” She finished, practically panting, voice getting shrill by the end of it.

She rose from her stool as he his mouth opened and closed like a guppy. He tried to speak, but she stopped him before he could even utter a word. “No you know what, never mind. Don’t answer that, I don’t need that confirmation. I hope you do stop drinking, Nick, but for your sake, not mine.” And with that, she turned on her heel and took off. Past the now very confused onlookers, out the door into the cool autumn air. She paused on the sidewalk and took a long, deep breath in, trying to steady herself and her emotions.

Before she could exhale she was twirled around by a strong tug on her left wrist. Instincts kicked in immediately and as she came around to face her attacker, she landed a strong right hook in the guy’s nose. 

Instant regret hit when she saw who her attacker was, “NICK?! What were you thinking?!” 

Nick just groaned in response as he released her wrist to gently touch his now bleeding nose. A wet chuckle escaped from his lips.

“Are you...laughing? The hell is wrong with you?” Ellie questioned, now starting to doubt his sanity. 

“Nothing, nothing. You’re just the second  _woman_ to beat me up in as many months.” He straightened out as he continued, “I deserved it though.”

“What? No—“

“No, I did. I’ve been an ass to you, Ellie. And I’m sorry. So sorry. I know you worry, I know you care. I let my pride get in the way of a few things, acted like a wuss—“ another chuckle at what seemed like an inside joke, “but don’t think I haven’t noticed just how much you’ve done for me over the past couple of months. Don’t think I haven’t thought about asking you to stay with me, every..single..night you’ve dropped me off. But I knew I wasn’t the man you needed then. And frankly I might never be the man you deserve,”

“Nick...” Ellie trying to protest.

“Let me finish.” He held a hand up, “But I want to be. Seeing you here, the passion in your eyes for me and my wellbeing. That was a wake up call. And yes, you look sexy as hell right now, and I’m thinking up an extremely high number of things I want to do to you that would be very inappropriate on the sidewalks of DC—“ her cheeks and neck flushed with a vengeance that only he could induce, “—But I’m listening now. I promise. I want to work on being the man you deserve...if you let me.” He finished, taking her hands in his and tugging her, lighter this time, to pull her flush to his body, very  _hard_ body. “Will you?” he asked, simply. 

“I’d love nothing more,” she replied. Staring into his eyes, hoping he understood the deeper meaning behind her words, he pulled her into an engulfing hug and she felt the slightest pressure of lips on the top of her forehead.

She didn’t feel the urge to fight him on the deserving part, they could talk about that later. For now, she’d just be happy to finally be in his arms, where she belonged. 


End file.
